That's according to Korean news website ETNews. Samsung's hometown newspaper reported that the firm designed the Galaxy Note 3 with a fingerprint scanner onboard, much like that found on Apple's flagship iPhone 5S.

Things reportedly didn't go to plan, however, as the security feature, which would have allowed users to unlock their phablet using their fingerprints, didn't pass Samsung's quality assurance tests. It's unclear why, but the report suggested that Samsung struggled to get the size of the sensor right.

While this seems to suggest why the technology didn't make it onto the Samsung Galaxy Note 3, we suspect that the firm caught wind of Apple's plans and canned the technology to avoid another court battle with its rival.

That's not to say Samsung has given up on the idea though, as ETNews added that Samsung is still working on the technology and likely will implement it on a smartphone before the year is out. According to the source, this could be another variant of the Galaxy Note 3 handset.

Rumour has it that HTC will implement a fingerprint scanner on its next generation flagship smartphone, the HTC One Max. Although the rumour is unconfirmed, the handset is expected to make its debut next week.